


Human After All

by UndyDala



Category: AC Odyssey - Fandom, Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alexios Becomes Attached To Kassandra, Alexios Saves Her, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Denial of Feelings, F/M, He’s Not Sure If He Likes It Or Not, Kass Is In Danger, Nikolaos Is A Good Father, Pythagoras Is A Dead Beat Father, Romance, Sibling Incest, The Author Regrets Nothing, its a slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25108873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndyDala/pseuds/UndyDala
Summary: The Eagle Bearer and the Demigod - both are just human after all.
Relationships: Alexios/Kassandra
Comments: 16
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bonds of Blood and Stone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16451051) by [TheEldritchSmilodon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEldritchSmilodon/pseuds/TheEldritchSmilodon). 



> A/N: Greetings! 
> 
> This work was inspired by ‘Bonds Of Blood And Stone’, written by TheEldritchSmilodon. 
> 
> I was gutted to see that it was merely a one shot, definitely had potential to be a great story!
> 
> So here I am, giving that one shot the story it deserves... with my own twist of course hehehe.
> 
> Enjoy!

He had been quiet most of the time. When he wasn’t working the ships deck, he was sitting atop the mast, staring off into the setting sun. His expression grim and always seeming to be in thought. 

Deimos was a man of few words, but Kassandra was able to read him like an open book despite only knowing him for two months. Her brother was not one for subtlety, and it certainly showed in his body language - fists clenching then unclenching when he was angry, body taut and tensed. Or the way his lips would slightly twitch when he was annoyed. The only time she’d seen him display affection was when she and her mother had managed to get through to him, to convince him to come back to them... 

“Commander! We are approaching the Island of Lesbos up ahead!”, the raspy voice of Barnabas shouted over the sound of breaking waves.

Broken out of her reverie, Kassandra realised that she had been staring at Alexios, who had been helping the crewmen carry cargo that they’d retrieved from a pirate trireme below deck. The misthios sighed. “Prepare the ship for docking!”, as soon as she’d commanded, they listened. 

As the Adrestia slowed to a halt, the crewmen’s shanties grew quieter. Evening was drawing near as the sunset painted the Greek sky yellow and orange, and Kassandra could make out the villages in the distance. They’d docked in the southern part of Lesbos, Ancient Pearl. It was there that she’d be going off to complete the final part of the task given to her by Pythagoras.

“You know...”, the sound of Herodotos approaching her from behind startled Kassandra, “Going to that valley will certainly be dangerous... What do you think awaits you there?”, he asked. The misthios shrugged nonchalantly, turning to face the aged story teller whilst leaning against the ships railing. “Danger is nothing new to me Herodotos. In fact, danger seems to follow me wherever I go. Surely it’s nothing I can’t handle”, she scoffed. 

Herodotos frowned at her arrogance, but before he could reply, a third voice joined their conversation.

“And she is right, my friend!”, Barnabas clapped Herodotos on his back. “The mighty Eagle Bearer has accomplished feet’s not thought possible by Zeus himself! Slaying the fucking Minotaur, defeating a cyclops! Whatever trials face her in that Valley, Ares will bless her with the strength of a hundred spartan soldiers!”, The old captain wildly gesticulated. 

Kassandra smirked at the ever rambunctious man, immediately finding his enthusiasm infectious. Herodotos however sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“All I am saying is that she should take extra precaution, I do not doubt her skill, but... I have heard whispers during my travels to Lesbos. Whispers of a creature who turns its victims to stone with a single look. A creature of terror”, his voice became a hushed tone, “Medusa”. A moment of silence passed between the three of them, as the crew around them were busying themselves with the upkeep of the Adrestia. Barnabas looked to Kassandra, who in turn did the same.

Kassandra sighed, “Whispers are just that. I’ll never know until I find out for myself... have faith, Herodotos”, she said to him smiling, patting him on the shoulder and giving Barnabas a wink, before walking away from them. 

Herodotos slowly shook his head, giving Barnabas a pointed look who in turn shrugged.

Kassandra found Alexios leaning against the ships railing, staring out into the darkening horizon with a grim look on his face.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”, she said as she came to lean against the railing alongside him, their shoulders slightly touching. 

Surprised, he looked to his side. Eyes similar to his own stared at him, raising a brow expectantly. “Well, little brother?”, there was a cheeky tone present in her voice. The wind blew gently against them, and he caught a waft of her scent - she smelled of ocean, sun and a sweet tinge of cinnamon and sweat. He couldn’t explain it, but her scent always managed to put him at ease... not that he’d ever admit that.

Alexios scoffed, before he went back to staring into the distance. They stood in companionable silence, listening to the gentle lapping of waves and the sound of crewmen chatting among themselves and laughter. 

“All my life, I’d never had the privilege of moments like these. Doing this, watching the sunset... was something I could never do”, he’d said quietly. His eyes glazed over in thought, a faraway look on his face. “The Cult trained me from dusk till dawn. My time, spent in dark caves, just training until my bones cracked, until I collapsed from exhaustion... that was my life until now.” His jaw tightened as he kept his gaze ahead.

Kassandra could not help the guilt trickling into her heart, the reason he’d had the life he lived was partly her fault, and there wasn’t a day where she didn’t blame herself for what had happened that night. She frowned.

Hesitantly, she reached for his hand that was gripping the railing tightly, to interlock their fingers. Surprisingly enough, he’d let her do so. 

“You’re home now, Alexios. You have me, Mater, Pater and even Stentor... from here on out, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you live the life you deserve, brother”, she spoke softly. Her hold on his hand tightening, her words an unspoken promise to him. 

Alexios was silent, but the look shared between the both of them spoke one thousand words, her eyes unwavering in their shared gaze. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and in this moment he was vulnerable.

Kassandra could see the comfort her words had brought him, and the torrent of emotion behind his honey eyes. Her heart clenched with both joy and sadness, joy because he was opening up to her... and sadness because this was the first time he felt relief in a life of darkness. 

He looked away, seeming to be a little more at peace. 

Kassandra smiled.

“I have business to tend here in Lesbos... I will be gone for a day, two at most. Will you be alright?”, she questioned, her hand leaving his.

Alexios grunted, slightly annoyed by the question. “I’m not a child Kassandra, I’ve survived a life of danger since I was young. I’ll be fine”.

The misthios sighed, ‘Brusque as usual.’ She thought to herself. 

“Myrrine and the other two are resting below deck... Ill let them know you’re gone once they awaken”, he said as he folded his arms, face once again staunch.

Kassandra sighed, Alexios had not once called Myrrine ‘Mother’, and it was slowly grating her nerves - but she could understand why. She patted her brothers shoulder, before walking off to gather her weapons in the storage at the helm. 

Once she’d finished placing her bow on her back and strapping her quiver, Kassandra tightened her greaves around her shins until they felt secure. Night time was fast approaching, and she needed to be in the northern part of Lesbos by early morning - it would be a long journey on horseback, so she made sure to pack a water-skin, three apples for Phobos, and a generous hunk of bread wrapped in white cloth.

A circling shadow from above indicated Ikaros’ presence, who let forth an impatient screech. The misthios merely rolled her eyes at the eagle, as she then departed the Adrestia with Phobos in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Weekly updates guys, I’ll try to keep it consistent because there’s nothing worse then waiting ten years for an author to update :/
> 
> Hope you’re all keeping safe with this bullshit virus and what not x
> 
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated :)

Something did not feel right - she could tell. Call it mother’s intuition, but she knew deep down her daughter was in trouble. A frown marred Myrrine’s face as she anxiously paced the docks.   
  


It had been a week since Kassandra had departed on what was supposed to be a ‘short stay’. Whatever her daughter said was always true, and this fact had only served to worry her more. Her husband and Stentor had gone out on several occasions during the week to search for the misthios, while her son had stayed watching over the crew. Alexios had remained silent ever since he’d told them Kassandra left on errands. she’d known her son wasn’t much of a talker, but grew slightly worried as even he seemed to become skittish at his sisters absence.   
  


Nikolaos was overlooking the crews sparring matches, watching both his sons locked in a wrestle match with the ships crew forming a ring around them, sounds of struggle and cheering. Stentor managed to headlock Alexios from behind, who immediately flipped the other man over his shoulder and onto the ground. Alexios smirked, and Stentor grew irritated with his step brothers cockiness. Hastily getting back on his feet, Stentor rushed to uppercut him before he could react, the other man smugly side stepping before he could land the hit. Nikolaos smiled proudly.

He looked to the docks, and saw his wife pacing for what had to be the tenth time today.

She could not sleep properly, always waking up at strange hours to pace the deck, constantly worried. He’d tried many times to assuage his wife’s fretting, reminding her just WHO she was the mother of, and how powerful a warrior her daughter was. He had been out searching for Kassandra and, to Myrrine’s added distraught, he’d not found her. No information about her whereabouts whatsoever.

He slowly approached his wife.

”Agápi mou”, he inquired softly. Startled, Myrrine turned only to see her husband. She relaxed slightly upon seeing it was only him.

”Something isn’t right, Nikolaos... I can feel it”, she stated solemnly. She huffed, frustrated at her lack of action. “She could be dead for all I know!”, she cried out, throwing her arms up. She turned so that her back was facing him, her hands covering her face. He could tell she was crying, her shoulders were jerking slightly and he could hear her muffled sobs.

he pulled her into his arms, trying to calm his distressed wife as he rubbed her back sympathetically. “I... I only j-just got them back, I c-couldn’t bare to lose one of them again, Nikolaos”, she cried, burying her face into his neck. 

  
Meanwhile, Alexios watched as his Father comforted his Mother from afar, having beaten Stentor in their spar minutes ago. He clenched his jaw tightly, having heard the dialogue of their conversation - his face set in grim determination. He walked to the helm storage, roughly opening the chest before digging around for his armour and weapons. He strapped on his chest plate, making easy work of doing up his bracers and adjusting his belt. Just as he was strapping on his greaves, Herodotos approached him.

  
“Alexios? What are you doing?”, he asked warily.

”I’m going to find my sister”, he said without hesitation, not bothering to spare a glance at the aged man. Standing up, he sheathed the Sword of Damokles at his hip, making sure his bow and quiver were secure on his back. 

Herodotos tensed, “That does not seem wise. Your sister would not agree with you going afte-“

“This is not up for debate, old man. I do not care for your thoughts on the matter. I am going to find Kassandra ”, Alexios said with finality. Stalking past Herodotos, he slightly shoved him with his shoulder, making him stumble.

”Wait! Alexios”, Herodotos caught his forearm before he could leave. The warrior yanked his arm free of his grip, his expression one of annoyance. 

“I don’t approve because Kassandra told me to specifically keep an eye on you - she didn’t want you following her to the place she was going...” at this point, he hesitated to continue.

Alexios quickly grew impatient with the stalling. “Well? Out with it!”

Herodotos sighed. “I’m not supposed to say... but she said that she was going to Petrified Valley, in the western part of Lesbos... if you’re to search for her, I’d start there”, he finished.

Alexios’ gaze turned murderous.   
  
he grabbed the old man by the scuff of his blue robes, “You knew where she was after all this time yet you didn’t think to tell us? _Maláka!_ ”, he spat viciously, shoving the man to the ground.

The rest of the crew had grown quiet, having witnessed ‘Deimos’ and his at times scary temperament. Upon hearing her sons angered shout, Myrrine rushed over with Nikolaos following closely.

”Alexios, what is the matter?”, her eyes landing on Herodotos who was slowly getting up off the ground, she gave her son a questioning look.   
  


“This fool knew where Kassandra was going and didn’t tell us!”, he hissed, folding his arms.

Herodotos’ glared, “I was merely doing what Kassandra asked of me, I at least owe it to her to use discretion if she wishes me to do so,” the indignation apparent in his tone.   
  


Before Myrrine could say anything, Nikolaos interrupted.

”There is nothing wrong with being discrete...” he began as his face hardened, “However, it has been several days since she’d left when it should’ve only been two days at most. Would it have not been wise to inform us, especially while we were searching her whereabouts?”, his tone clipped and short.

Herodotos sputtered, trying to come up with a reply in rebuttal to his question. In the end, he sighed.

”That does not matter now... I’ve told him where to start, and that is all. Good luck, Be safe”, he said solemnly. As if he knew something bad was going to happen.   
  


Alexios eyed the man as he walked away, before turning his gaze to his Mother.   
  


“I am going to find Kassandra. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Myrrine nodded sadly, pulling him into a hug as she kissed his forehead. He tensed, not used to affection.   
  


“Be safe my son, may Zeus guide you”, she spoke endearingly. Nikolaos merely patted him on the shoulder - while he was not a man of many words, Alexios seemed to understand the message behind his battle weary eyes,

_’I’m sorry I failed you As a Father. Forgive me. Be safe’_

  
He nodded at both of them, before he walked towards the dock. Stepping off the ship however, he heard the distant screech of a familiar eagle.

  
Looking up, his eyes squinted against the harsh rays of the afternoon sun - only for them to widen. Ikaros circled around him from above. Holding out his forearm, the eagle immediately swooped downwards, perching itself upon the warriors scarred forearm.

Ikaros let out a series of ear piercing screeches, his feathers ruffling as he did so. If Ikaros was here without Kassandra, that could only mean -

Fear struck him in the heart. She was in danger, she needed his help. He had to hurry.

”take me to her, Ikaros”, he said to the bird urgently. It screeched as if agreeing, and with a mighty flap of its wings, the eagle took off.

* * *

He had been sprinting for at least an hour non stop, In hopes he could keep up with the eagle. Although he had godly endurance due to the torturous training he’d received with the Cult, it was only a matter of time before he’d grow too tired to even crawl.

He knew he needed to stop by an Agora to steal a horse from a stable, the only problem was that he’d not seen one township within sight - nothing but autumn trees and mountainous terrain surrounded him as he ran. 

It did not help him that he knew absolutely nothing about this Island. 

sweat streamed down his forehead, stinging his eyes as his breathing became harder to control, the muscles in his legs crying out for him to stop and take a short break - yet he did not. He ran for another fifteen minutes before he’d reached the peak of a mountain overlooking a large lake. His erratic breathing slightly returning to normal while he stood, eyes searching the terrain. He spotted a small village west of the large lake, it wasn’t too far.

Ikaros squawked in the distance, changing his direction of flight towards the village, seemingly reading Alexios’ mind.   
  


Wiping the perspiration off his face, the warrior huffed before taking off in another sprint.

* * *

It was another half hour before he arrived to the small village - Eresos, as he’d heard from passing civilians on his way. Evening quickly approached, the sky once again darkening in magnificent purples and blues. The villagers were busying themselves with lighting torches and readying the night markets and taverns. Parents ushering their children inside, chickens clucking about nearby.  
  


The sound of a lyre and tamberines were heard in the distance, along with raucous laughter and social chattering, most likely within the townships _Agora._ The sound of a woman singing a beautiful melody, a tune accompanied by the lyre that felt eerily familiar to him, yet he couldn’t quite grasp it.

  
Walking towards the _Agora_ had many eyes turning, many suspicious looks and hushed whispers - _Is that not him? The man named Deimos? The slayer of innocents, who led a malicious Cult against the Greek world?_

The stares burnt holes at the back of his head as he walked past, trying hard to ignore them. _‘I should’ve worn a cloak’,_ he thought derisively to himself. He hastened his steps, searching for a horse stable.   
  


He spotted a stable with only one horse, completely black in colour, Situated behind a rundown hut that looked abandoned. it looked to be a bit smaller than the average steed, but otherwise capable. 

Alexios slowly approached the unsettled horse. It huffed, letting out a soft whinny as its ears swivelled back and forth in alarm.

” _Ela,”_ Alexios spoke to it soothingly, the stallion noticeably calming down as the warrior offered an apple. Sniffing the apple suspiciously, the horse took two tentative nips of fruit before he grasped it with his teeth, chomping and chewing noisily. In a display of friendliness, Alexios slowly ran a calloused hand up and down it’s snout.   
  


it had gotten noticeably darker now, the sky a dark blue as stars slowly started to become more visible, the festivities growing a little in volume. Thankfully, this side of town seemed to be without much people. None would notice him sneaking away with the horse.

He moved to swiftly saddle up, attaching the buckles and securing it properly to the horses underside. Leading the horse out of the stables by the reins, he mounted the steed. Before taking off however, he heard approaching steps.   
  


“Hey, that’s my beast! Stop right there you thieving _Skata!_ ”, a paunchy bald man yelled in a deep baritone, attempting to run after him. After two steps however, the man was already out of breath.

Alexios guffawed, “Yours? This is your horse?!”, clicking his tongue he shook his head. “If that is true, I pity the poor thing... I mean look at you, you’d probably break his back!”, he said with a cruel smirk.   
  


The mans expression turned thunderous. “Why you-“, Alexios slapped the reins, the horse let out a loud whinny before taking off down the dusty pathway before the man could say anything.   
  


Alexios slapped the reins to make the horse go faster, as it galloped faster through the woods.   
The familiar screech of Ikaros as it led Alexios to Kassandra brought him a small sense of comfort.   
  
  


_‘Hang in there, Kassandra. I’m coming’_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Agápi mou - My love  
> Skata - Shit
> 
> Thank god for google translator. Until the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. See you down there :)

The forest was eerie - he decided as he’d first step foot upon the ruined soil. He tried and failed to walk or move his limbs comfortably, as gravity felt impossibly heavy. The place looked lifeless, the silence deafening. What truly stood out to him however, were the strangely twisted hollowed out trees that emitted a golden light - the light itself seemed to take shape, symbols that he had seen before... like the symbols from the Cults artifact. Ikaros perched himself on a tree nearby, squawking as he did so. dismounting his horse, Alexios tied its reins to the branch where the golden eagle sat, appreciatively scratching beneath the eagles feathers while doing so.

The stallion however was unsettled, and Alexios suspected that it was because of the forest. It’s constant series of disgruntled whines and fidgety movements told him so.   
  


“ _Iremisé_ ”, he spoke to the horse as he combed a calloused hand through its black mane. The beast listened, having calmed considerably before becoming quiet all together.   
  


it was well in to the night when he’d arrived, the thick smog of the forest covered any light the night sky provided. The torch stick he held flickering as he moved to walk, the light from the fire illuminating a pathway. To where? He didn’t know.

He walked for what seemed an eternity, deeper into the forest. The further he walked - the more tension built up in his stomach. Several realistic stone statues of people, men and women had passed him, their faces etched, frozen in terror as they seemed to be moving in the opposite direction of where he was going. 

Running from someone.

_Or something._

He ignored this. Finally coming to the end of the pathway, a megalith of a gate, a door of sorts stood in his way. Massive stone pillars faced in a triangular shape, the architecture not of Greek origin. He noticed the dim lighting outlining the gate in gold, and a glowing disk of sorts. The warrior cautiously reached out to the disk, turning it the slightest way right. He instantly retracted his hand Upon feeling a deep rumbling of earth, trembling beneath his sandalled feet . The giant stone doors groaning as they opened, amazing mechanisms of which he’d never seen before as the opening grew wider.   
  


He unsheathed his sword as he cautiously continued his trek into the stone pillared maze. The giant megalithic door closing behind him.   
  


* * *

It did not take long for him to find what looked to be the ruins of an arena - an opening of which there were several surrounding stone beams. He’d noticed many of the stone statues seemed to be running away from this direction so he followed. It was incredibly hard to walk at this point, Alexios finding it to be strenuous work on his muscled thighs as they worked twice as hard to move.   
  


Slowly wedging himself through the opening leading to the arena, he put out his torch as his eyes caught sight of a shadowed figure. The person struggled to get back onto their feet, their legs wobbly as they looked to give out any moment. The figure collapsed, no longer able to stand. 

Alexios tightened his grip around his sword as he cautiously approached the figure. 

He narrowed his eyes the closer he got, however he started to recognise who it was. His eyes widened.   
  


She lay face down, splayed on the dusty ground, her back facing him - but the recognisable scars upon her right arm and braided hair were a dead giveaway of who she was.   
  


“Kassandra!”, he rushed to kneel beside her motionless body. Taking his sister into his arms, he began to lightly tap her on the cheek. He felt panic rise within his chest, she was awake but looked too weak to respond, her eyes struggling to stay open, her breathing laboured and broken.

She looked thoroughly beaten with her ruined armour, the many cuts, gashes And bruises littering her body. No semblance of her beautiful olive skin, only grime, dried blood and sweat.   
  


“Alexios,” the misthios wheezed, with a trembling hand she reached for his, interlocking their fingers. Her eyes hazy, sad and defeated.

”You must leave... I-I didn’t kill it.. go, baby brother”, she begged. Eyes glassy with unshed tears as she asked him to leave her to her fate. Her shaky hand tightening around his own. Tears rolling down her grime sodden face.  
  


“ _Please..._ ” 

His heart clenched painfully. Kassandra was ready to accept what would become of her, but begged him to leave without her. He screwed his eyes shut, willing away the tears he felt burning through his tear ducts. Swallowing the knot in his throat, he opened his eyes to stare into her amber ones. Eyes that begged him to run. 

To her this would be a final goodbye. 

To him...  
  


”Never”, he whispered. His resolve strong. His eyes hardened and jaw clenched. He refused to let this happen, and he refused to leave her.

By the gods, he meant it. Whatever fate the _Moíra_ had spun for the woman, death would not reach her. He swore it.   
  


Alexios brushed the loose brown hair from his sisters forehead with a gentleness he’d never thought possible from himself. “I am not going anywhere, and you are not dying... please, just hold on for a bit longer”, his voice wavering.  
  


_‘I only just got you. I’m not ready to say goodbye,’_ are his unspoken words. 

A tired frown marred her face, she tried to argue only to have a wave of exhaustion sweep over her. She had no more energy.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind him, Alexios tensed. He gently lowered Kassandra onto the ground before slowly standing up to face his opponent. She weakly protested, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears. When he turned, he could only stare in disbelief.  
  


The person - no, the creature was three heads taller than him. It was certainly terrifying, but for some reason he found himself devoid of fear. Any normal human would be scared of such a sight - glowing gold eyes, a mane of hissing venomous snakes, snapping at him from the distance. It’s ghoulish sickly pale skin splattered with blood, dried and fresh splatters.   
  


_Kassandra’s blood. His blood to an extent._

**Rage**. He welcomed the emotion as if it were an old friend.

His blood boiled, and even more so when the ghastly thing cackled mockingly, it’s high pitched screech hurting his ears. In the dark, he could see the cruel mirth in its eyes.

_The Writhing Dead. Medusa._

_  
  
_

He wanted nothing more then to run up and sink his blade into the creature, but his priority was getting his sister out of harms way.  
  


Swiftly grabbing his bow, Alexios fired multiple shots at it. The arrows embedded deep into Medusa’s scaled skin, one lodging into its forehead. It bellowed an inhuman scream, stumbling backwards, hissing loudly.

He took this chance to quickly hide Kassandra behind one of the stone pillars. He scooped her up in his arms, and ran for cover before the serpent creature regained its bearings. Gently sitting her up against the pillar, Kassandra weakly gripped his arm.   
  


“Hide when her eyes start to glow, and run in for close range attacks...“, she whispered weakly, giving in to her exhaustion as she leaned her full body weight against the supporting beam. Alexios nodded grimly, before gently placing the hand that was gripping his forearm onto her lap. 

  
Medusa snarled viciously at the warrior as he stepped out from behind his cover, he unsheathed the sword of Damokles from his hip. Glaring with all the hate he could muster in his heart, he pointed the tip of his sword at the ghastly beast.

At this moment he was Deimos - the Demigod.

”You die tonight”, he spat venomously. 

Alexios charged, sword raised high in the air as he lunged forward. Before it could think to turn him to stone, the sword had already cleaved its head clean from its neck. 

Black blood sprayed his face, the dark warm sluice of liquid oozing down and onto his golden chest plate. The beings body dropped dead in front of him. For extra caution, Alexios raises his sword again and stabbed it into the creatures heart. Satisfied, he removed the blade from its body and flicked off the blood as he then sheathed his weapon.

Hesitantly, he kneeled and looted the body, finding nothing but an arm band coiled around the creatures right arm. Upon holding the coil though, a sharp pain coursed through his veins, and momentarily he was blinded by a flash of golden light. The harsh light softened out however, displaying a holographic outline of the beast he’d just slayed.   
  


_“Wield fear as a weapon... May our enemies crumble”_ , the unknown, feminine voice spoke. The arm coil he held then morphed into a golden sphere, an artifact.

  
So this is what Kassandra came for? He had no idea what it was, nor did he quite care. What did matter right now was seeking medical attention for his sister.

Wrapping the artifact in cloth and tying it to his belt, he walked to where he’d hidden Kassandra and hoisted her now limp body into his arms. His right arm hooked underneath her knees, and his left arm supporting her back. She was still breathing which was good, but her wounds were grievous and she’d lost a lot of blood. Her breathing was shallow, a pained expression on her face as she burned up with fever.   
  
  


Alexios immediately made his way to his horse, leaving the accursed stone lair. Quickly approaching the horse, he mounted all while carrying Kassandra with one arm. He carefully hoisted one of her legs over the horse as he sat behind her, his chest providing support for her limp body. His arms circled around her waist To hold and control the reins, also helping to keep her secure and sitting up. 

Kassandra groaned in discomfort, her face contorted in pain.   
  


”Hang in there... it’ll be over soon”, he urged encouragingly in his strong baritone. 

Ikaros squawked from above them as Alexios slapped the reins, the horse taking off in a fast paced gallop for the village of Eresos. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Iremisé - Calm down
> 
> Moíra - sisters of fate 
> 
> Ok ok I know, you must be thinking ‘Well, how the hell did he slay the writhing dead just like THAT?!’
> 
> Answer is simple - Medusa fucked with the wrong man... would make sense for him to strike her down on the spot right? We’ve seen how powerful Deimos is in Odyssey and how scary he/she can be. I’d imagine that Deimos Alexios would be extremely protective of his sister if she were to get hurt lol 
> 
> As always, constructive criticism is appreciated:)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Greetings! 
> 
> First off I’d like to sincerely apologise for my lack of updates on this story. It’s been a while since I’ve updated, and as an avid reader myself, I absolutely HATE when an author goes cold all of a sudden, and I’ve done exactly that. Many apologies to the readers who’ve enjoyed this story thus far.

_Hold on Kassandra, we’re nearly there”_

…

…

His voice provided her an anchor, as she drifted in and out of consciousness. The dull ache in her head throbbed as she tried opening her eyes, only to find she barely had energy to keep them open. Everything felt fuzzy, her senses dulled and next to non existent, save for the warm strong body keeping her upright.

Alexios tightened his arms around Kassandra’s waist, growing ever more disquieted at his sisters whimpers of pain. He slapped the reins, urging the horse to go faster.

“ _Elá elá!”_

* * *

The horse slowed to a trot upon the dusty road. On the outskirts just west of the village, Alexios hopped off the horse and led it by the reins. He stopped at what he’d guessed was the village practitioners house, if the groves of medicinal herb bushes were anything to go by. It was still fairly early into the morning, and soon Alexios guessed dawn would be approaching.

He wrapped his knuckles against the wooden door in haste.

No answer.

Alexios, or rather ‘Deimos’ was not a man of patience, especially when he was particularly perturbed. Another series of unrelenting pounding at the door, and not a moment later, the door abruptly swung open slightly startling Alexios.

A frazzled old woman of short stature and greying hair stood there in a tattered purple _peplos_ , a disgruntled look on her face.

“What business have you to be pounding on my door at such a time?” She spoke snappingly.

“You are the village physician”, Alexios addressed. He carefully pulled Kassandra off the horses back and into his arms, her meek groans of pain barely audible.

“She is badly wounded and needs to be tended to…”

The physician looked down at the unconscious woman, even in the dark she could tell how severe the situation was.

The old woman only shook her head in pity.

“My services are not free, _boy._ I doubt I could do anything for her.” She waved a dismissive hand, “You’ll have better luck visiting the Father physician Hippokrates in Boetia. Now, if you’d please excuse me”, she said whilst shutting the door.

Before completely closing it, his foot jammed between the door, as a hefty bag of coin was tossed at her feet. The physician looked at her visitor with obvious skepticism.

“600 _drachmae_ for your troubles. Now…”, Alexios’ face darkened, and he slowly approached the woman. She backed away in growing alert as he got closer.

“You will heal her to the best of your abilities. if you choose otherwise… I’ll kill you”, his amber eyes glinting dangerously in the dark, his low voice in which he spoke sent terror throughout the old woman’s system. Her situation was apparent, and so she had no choice but to comply.

Keeping her fear at bay, she nodded. Picking up the bag of _drachmae_ , the physician hesitantly motioned for him to follow her inside. Following her into the cramped space of the sun baked brick house, he carefully adjusted Kassandra in his arms, wary of hitting her head accidentally.

The woman lit a torch in one corner of the open space providing a dim lighting. Wooden shelves held small pots of various balms, salves and ointment, A small wooden cabinet that had long strips of white linen cloth lay strewn about. In the middle of the room was a mattress of grass stuffed bear hides, with many cushions littering the mattress. The room smelled pleasantly of burnt sage with a hint of lemony citrus and lavender.

“Place her on the bed, I will get to concocting a paste and a brew to clean the wounds”, the woman ordered as she clambered to light the fireplace and get started. Alexios followed the instructions, as he walked to the bed and knelt down before carefully laying her on the mattress.

Underneath the dim lighting of the torch, she looked much worse then he’d imagined.

_‘If only I’d gotten there earlier’_ , he thought scornfully.

Brushing Kassandra’s matted hair from her blood crusted forehead, a grimace marred her face even whilst unconscious. The old woman kneeled beside him, pressing 2 spindly fingers to Kassandra’s wrist checking her pulse. The physician then proceeded to place a hand against her forehead. After assessing her patient, the old woman turned to him with a sigh of relief.

“She will be ok”, the physician uttered. Alexios visibly relaxed a little, “Most of her lacerations I am able to clean and stitch, however she has an infection in her blood. She is burning up with fever… my priority is to first clean her before she gets any other infections.”

The physician clambered to carefully remove the chest plate, all while throwing furtive glances at the strange man sitting quietly, staring at the unconscious woman solemnly.

“What is your name, _agóri_?”, she questioned him.

“None of your business, old woman” he replied with obvious disdain, never turning his gaze from Kassandra.

“If you insist… my name is Sotiria.”

Silence.

“Is she your woman? I must say, under all that grime, she’s quite beautiful” Sotiria said, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence as she worked.

“Your attempt at shallow conversation will not work with me. Just shut up and heal her.” He snarled, fed up with the woman’s impudence.

She sighed and remained quiet, swiftly removing the damaged Armor off of Kassandra’s prone figure, leaving her stripped down to her breast band and _perizoma._ Sotiria dipped a ragged linen cloth into the pot of freshly boiled mint water, wringing the cloth she started to gently clean a particularly grisly gash on Kassandra’s left thigh, dry blood crusting the area with bits of white pus starting to seep.

She cleaned all the brutal cuts and stab wounds under the watchful gaze of Alexios, who’s eyes followed her every move intently, watching as she cleaned and stitched the wounds. Sotiria hummed a quiet tune as she got up to stir her brewing pot over the fire, grabbing a small wooden bowl she dunked it into the pot gathering the liquid. The physician offered the bowl to Alexios.

“Drink this”, she told him. The look the ex cult member gave her said he’d do otherwise.

Sotiria frowned. “I do not poison my clients, child. To do so would surely bring about the wrath of _Asclepius_ himself. Please, drink to restore your energy”, she spoke honestly. Several seconds went by as he glared at the old woman intently, before he took the bowl from her and carefully drank the liquid.

Surprisingly, it tasted sweet. Similar to honey suckle, with a tang of ripened lemon that slid easily down his throat.

Alexios quietly thanked her. She nodded, as she refocused her attention on Kassandra.

The warrior felt drained. Not because he ran day and night searching for the eagle bearing _misthios_ , or because he fought a creature that wasn’t supposed to exist. No.

He was emotionally drained, because for the first time ever he felt… fear. A foreign emotion, that for some reason made him want to protect Kassandra, even though she was a fearsome Spartan misthios who equaled him in strength, if not more.

_‘Demigod’s Amongst Men’._ The analogy made Alexios want to snicker.

He tiredly ran a calloused palm over his face, the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes seemed to deepen as the torch light casted shadows that highlighted his gauntness. The silence save for the humming physician felt comfortable. The atmosphere was warm.

Kassandra was alive. He was alive. Everything would be okay.

As his mind started to feel less burdened, Alexios slowly began to shut his eyes, as sleep began to take over.

* * *

_The boy stood in front of masked strangers, ghosts weeping tears of blood wearing black robes – a red emblem with three consecutive swirls stamped onto three surrounding banners. the Cult of Kosmos._

_‘My child’, Chrysis spoke._

_The cultist held out her hand to the boy, who’d hesitantly stepped forward. The masked woman placed one spindly hand onto the boys head, slowly pushing down as she made him kneel. The surrounding cultists started to hum an ominous tune, a symphony of grim soprano voices joined as one._

_One particularly tall hulking cultist ordered 2 others to grab the boy by his arms._

_‘Deimos, Lamb of Kosmos. Bloodline Bearer. Child of mine...’ Chrysis spoke endearingly behind the mask. Her weathered hand caressed the boys cheek tenderly, he would’ve thought the gesture was loving, had she not gripped his chin forcefully._

_‘Choose wisely.’_

_Her grating voice felt like molten iron spikes scraping at his insides, the ominous humming of the cultists intensifying as it dropped a chilling octave._

_Chrysis stepped aside, another cultist steps forward. The Monger, they’d called him. In his left hand he held the ceremonial branding iron, burning an intense orange glow. An iron for marking victims as property of the cult. ‘To never forget who you serve’, Chrysis once told him._

_The boys doe eyes widened a fraction, fear at war with confusion._

_The Monger laughed, long and loud as he walked behind the boy. A wolf closing in on its defenceless prey._

_A sting, a burn, the sizzling of flesh upon the touch of the branding iron. A pain most intense._

_The young boy threw his head back, a pained expression marred his face, tears stung the inner corners of his widened eyes, mouth agape in a silent scream. Seared onto the middle of his back was the emblem of the cult._

_He was nothing more then cattle. To be used and slaughtered._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 
> 
> I promise things will get more interesting in the coming chapters! In regards to my absence with this story, I feel that I owe an explanation: 
> 
> Lately I’ve been training to get fit for purpose! I’ve decided I will be joining the RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Airforce), hence why I’ve not been updating. I’ve put myself through boot camps, intense training and what not. 
> 
> Rest assured I will be continuing this story, although updates may be irregular. Please hang in there :)
> 
> Hope you’ve all been well and safe, and as always, constructive criticism is appreciated! X

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Glad to see you’ve made it to the bottom!  
> Feed back and constructive criticism is always welcome :)


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